HANGES IN AND INTERRELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN BLOOD SERUM INTERLEUKIN-2, INTERLEUKIN-6, AND TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR- UPON LIVER CIRRHOSIS OF VIRAL ETIOLOGY

ELISA was used to assess serum levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) in liver cirr- hosis patients referred to Child-Pugh Classes A, B, and C. Increasing the grade of liver cirrhosis was associated with a trend to increa- ses in serum IL-2, IL-6 and TNF-a within reference values, except for IL-6 in Class C patients whose sera contained 14,89±4,96 pg/ml IL-6 (range: 9,94 to 25,21 pg/ml), which is above reference values. Class A cirrhosis features a negative correlation between TNF-a and IL-6 levels (r=-0,421), whereas Class B cirrhosis features a positive correlation between TNF-a and IL-2 (r=0,421).